The Director-General of Social and Mental Health, Dr. Abdul Hamid bin Abdullah Al-Habib, confirmed that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has approved, as part of its budget for this fiscal year 1434/1435H, establishing two mental health hospitals in the Holy Capital “Makkah” and Al-Baha Region, with a bed capacity of 700 beds and a total cost of SR 680,000.000.
In a press statement, Dr. Al-Habib has pointed out that the bed capacity of the mental health hospital is to be 500 beds in the Holy Capital and 200 beds in Al-Baha.
He went on adding that MOH is currently expanding the therapeutic services of the mental health and addiction diseases, by way of providing a set of services through Al-Amal Complexes and the mental health and addiction treatment hospitals with a bed capacity of 2861 beds, including three centers for addiction treatment and 98 mental clinics annexed to general hospitals throughout the Kingdom's various regions and governorates. Thereafter, Dr. Al-Habib has indicated that MOH has embarked on establishing a number of mental health hospitals in Tabuk, Najran and Al-Kharj with a capacity of 200 beds each. In addition, the project of the Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Hospital has been delivered with a capacity of 100 beds in Qurayyat and other 100 beds in Ar'ar, noting that the bed capacity, with this addition counted, is to be doubled to reach more than 5000 beds.
Dr. Al-Habib declared that the total labor force in the mental health hospitals and complexes as well as the mental clinics annexed to hospitals reaches have mounted to 627 physicians, 406 psychiatrists, 724 social specialists and 3080 nurses. Besides, he indicated that the program of the mental and social services has been activated in about 79 primary health care centers.
In the same vein, Dr. Al-Habib has affirmed that MOH attaches a great interest for the mental health of children and adolescents through 22 children and adolescents mental health clinics in the general hospital all over the Kingdom, meanwhile, stressing on promoting the performance in the centers of protecting children against violence and abuse that amounted to 23 clinics disseminated to Kingdom’s regions and governorates. Whereas tens of cases have been observed and tackled with the teams and committees of protection against violence and abuse in the regions and governorates. Moreover, Dr. Al-Habib touched the importance of activating the Home-Care Program and its achievements good results in some of Al-Amal complexes and mental health hospitals, whereas the program includes visiting the patients in their place of residence, following them up, and providing services to them after releasing from hospitals.
Dr. Al-Habib has extended his thanks and appreciation to the Saudi Consultative Council “Majlis Ash-Shura” for approving the system of the mental health which comprises the rights and duties of the patients and the employees in the social and mental health domain. He kept on adding that during the last year of 1433 H, about 14 short courses on the mental health have been conducted, of which 365 trainees have been benefited, aside from the benefit of the internal and abroad scholarships for specialists in the social and mental health domains.